Zoning Code Updates

I. GENERAL INFORMATIONA. Community ProfileFlagstaff serves as the county seat of Coconino County and is the regional hub for commercial and institutional activities. With a growing population of approximately 72,000 within an area of 65 square miles, Flagstaff is the largest city in northern Arizona. Located at nearly 7,000 feet above sea level, and at the base of the San Francisco Peaks, the City is one of the highest elevation cities in the United States of America. Also, the City is surrounded by the largest ponderosa pine forest in the country. Flagstaff’s residents and business community have created a vibrant and welcoming feel for this beautiful mountain town that is full of ethnically diverse, passionate, educated, and intelligent people. Known in many ways as a college, ski, mountain, and an outdoors town, the city attracts a diverse mix of people in its residents, workforce, and visitors. The City’s small-town quality of life, traditions, and character have been cited by many as what drew them to Flagstaff and why they desired to live and work here.B. BackgroundAdopted in May 2011, and prior to the ratification of the Flagstaff Regional Plan 2030 (the “Regional Plan”), the Zoning Code combined the conventional [Euclidian] zoning of the City’s previous land development code with an opt-in Form-Based Code (the “Transect Code”) in the City’s central core. Most of the properties with conventional commercial and high-density residential zoning, are typically located in and around designated activity centers and commercial corridors. The Transect Code is intended to strike a balance between the applicable conventional zoning regulations of a property and the existing characteristics and scale of an activity center, commercial corridor, and neighborhood; however, the provisions of the Transect Code and some of their zone locations do not correspond with the existing context of the designated areas. The Transect Code standards are also applied to the Planned Residential Development option within the conventional zones, which adds to the development complexity of the option. The Regional Plan was ratified in May 2014, and promotes the resurgence of activity centers and commercial corridors. Indicated as a priority for reinvestment, redevelopment, infill, and future growth. The Regional Plan specifies that increased intensity and density of residential, commercial, and mixed-use developments should be accommodated in the urban, suburban, and rural activity centers and commercial corridors, provided that the development is compact and scaled appropriately to, and within, the context of each area. Furthermore, the Regional Plan specifies that the design of new development in an activity center or along a corridor should be walkable and provide a transition to the existing developed area's look, scale, and functionality. Since the Regional Plan was ratified, the City has adopted three specific plans. These include the La Plaza Vieja Neighborhood Specific Plan, High Occupancy Housing Specific Plan, and the Southside Community Plan. Each of these plans address the specificity that the Regional Plan and the Development Code do not include, to mitigate the size, scale, and character that new development has on existing neighborhoods, historic and natural resources, and activity and corridor areas. In addition, these plans include goals, policies, and implementation strategies to address community objectives and improve the functionality of the City’s Development Codes, future development, and public improvements. C. Project ObjectivesThe purpose of this RSOQ is to solicit SOQs from qualified professional Consultants with demonstrated expertise and experience to provide On-Call Planning Services. The Consultant(s) will assist the City’s staff in all aspects of review, modification, and creation of provisions for the zoning code, subdivision code, design guidelines, and other related City codes to implement Flagstaff’s